Bangkok bombing suspect released amid manhunt

Officials say suspect could be Thai or foreigner, after at least 22 people were killed in country's "worst ever attack".

Thai authorities say they have the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of a suspect who is thought to be behind a bomb attack in the capital, Bangkok, that killed 22 people, including nine foreigners.

Six Chinese tourists have been confirmed dead, Xinhua news agency reported.

National Police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said on Tuesday that the suspect, who was wearing a yellow shirt, was seen in a first CCTV image with a backpack at a popular Hindu shrine where the bombing happened.

The photos of the suspect released [Reuters]

Authorities said he was without the bag in a later one, adding that he could be Thai or a foreigner, and that a manhunt was under way.

"That man was carrying a backpack and walked past the scene at the time of the incident. But we need to look at the before and after CCTV footage to see if there is a link," Somyot told a news conference.

Police earlier said they had not ruled out any group, including elements opposed to the military government, for the bombing at the Erawan shrine on Monday evening.

However, the Thai army chief, General Udomdej Sitabutr, said the bombing "did not match the tactics" of Muslim rebels in the country's south.

The rebels, who Thai forces have been fighting for years, have rarely launched attacks outside their ethnic Malay heartland.

Worst ever attack

Thailand's junta leader said the bombing was the "worst ever attack" on the kingdom.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha also referred to the man as a suspect without giving details, adding that there were "still anti-government groups out there".